As reported exclusively by The Post, Hooters is of fering a glimpse of its assets to pri vate equity. But as it looks to tempt investors, it’s grappling with more than just sagging sales and bottomed-out profits.

Sources tell The Post that the racy eatery is also coping with the costs of settling a three-year courtroom squabble between the heirs of founder Robert Brooks, a churchgoing workaholic who nevertheless enjoyed flirting with his chain’s scantily clad waitresses until his death in 2006 at 69.

The founder’s son, Coby Brooks, who aims to remain CEO of Hooters regardless of its ownership, is being forced to pay a lavish sum to settle a claim on Hooters by Robert’s widow, Tami, according to the terms of a sealed agreement reached late last year, sources said.

That, in turn, has sent Coby Brooks courting investors with cash in their wallets with the help of North Point Advisors, a San Francisco investment bank. Already, the company has given some rights of first refusal to a Connecticut-based investor, sources said.

“This estate issue is what’s driving this process,” according to one source close to the situation.

While analysts say a bidding war for the $1 billion-revenue chain might go as high as $250 million, Hooters was appraised a few years ago at a value between $130 million and $160 million.

Sources said it’s possible that Hooters could end up doing a recapitalization to raise cash instead of an outright sale, although it looks doubtful whether it can retain majority control.

The chain’s finances have been hit during the recession, and its comparable sales are currently down about 5 percent, according to one source. That’s “nothing cataclysmic,” the source added, noting that many publicly traded competitors are faring worse.

But the CEO’s stepmother Tami — who was 21 years younger than her late husband and had a daughter, Boni Belle, with him — has demanded more than the $20 million left to her in a will. That’s despite protests that she wasn’t living with her husband when he died.

South Carolina law appears to have sided with Tami, entitling her to one-third of the company, sources said. As such, Coby Brooks has been courting outside investors with cash in their wallets.

“It’s usually not a question of whether she’d receive her one-third share, but how to value it,” said Billy Newsome, an estate lawyer in Columbia, SC. “It looks like both Tami and the IRS are going to get their two pounds of flesh.”

Coby Brooks — who will appear this weekend on the CBS TV show “Undercover Boss,” busting a manager for harassing female employees — is entitled to 30 percent of the estate.

The will also assigned a 30-percent share to Boni Belle, who is now about 10 years old. But she can’t take possession until age 30, and has been assigned a trustee other than her mother, sources said. james.covert@nypost.com